VETERINARY SERVICES MEMORANDUM NO. 552.16 5

Apply lye solution. After the litter and debris are removed from the laying
houses or shelters, the floors, roosts, and other equipment must be
saturated with hot lye solution containing 1 pound of lye to 15 gallons of
water. Let the solution remain for 24 hours if possible. After the lye
solution has softened the dried manure, scrape again and flush with clean
water. Note: lye solutions are caustic. Protect hands and face. None of
the lye solution should be left available to children, livestock, pets, or
poultry.

The entire house and equipment should then be sprayed with an approved
cresylic acid disinfectant mixed at the rate of 4 ounces of disinfectant to 1
gallon of water. (Approved tuberculocidal disinfectants containing
cresylic acid alone or in combination with phenolic compounds are
available commercially.)

To avoid the undesirable odor of cresylic acid solutions, a solution of
sodium orthophenlphenate may be used instead. Add 1 pound of sodium
orthophenylphenate to 12 gallons of water at >60°F. If the temperature of
the building is <60°F, the solution should be at 120°F, and even higher in
very cold weather.

E. Poultry owners should be given the following advice:

1.

Poultry should be confined to avoid cohabitation or contact with other
livestock, such as cattle or swine.

Consider the many advantages of adopting an all-in, all-out production
cycle with the purchase of pullets.

Do not keep laying flocks past their second laying cycle.

Raise all young birds for repopulation on clean ground, far enough away
from old lots or farm yards so that young birds cannot get to the
contaminated yards and old birds cannot contaminate the clean ground. In
the summer, rearing may take place in movable summer shelters.

If permanent brooder houses are present, take care to prevent bringing in
infection from old birds or yards through the caretaker’s shoes. Place a
pair of rubbers or overshoes in the brooder house to be put on upon
entering and removed upon leaving.

Pullets on clean range should be culled and housed when they begin to lay
eggs. They should be placed in previously cleaned and disinfected laying
houses. They should never be in the same house as old hens.

When birds are housed, they should remain housed until they have
completed their production. cycle and are marketed. If hens, due to their
profitability, are kept over beyond when the pullets are ready for housing,
they must be housed separately.


VETERINARY SERVICES MEMORANDUM NO. 552.16 8

f. Acomplete epidemiological study of each affected herd must be
conducted and reported.

6. Cleaning and disinfection and segregation

a. All infected structures such as hog houses; feeding and breeding floors
should be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected with an approved
tuberculocidal disinfectant.

b. Infected soil areas should be fenced off and kept free of animals and
fowl for at least one cropping season.

c. Poultry must not be permitted to mingle with swine under any
circumstance; swine should not be put on ground, or in other areas,
formerly populated by poultry.

d. Swine must not be fed dead poultry, uncooked garbage, offal, or
contaminated milk or milk products. Swine feed must be free of
contamination by poultry or other swine.



VETERINARY SERVICES MEMORANDUM NO. 552.16 4

C. Procedures for handling tuberculosis-affected flocks

In all cases, the elimination of avian tuberculosis is accomplished by sound well-
established management principles. When avian tuberculosis is diagnosed in a
poultry flock, the owner must be advised on the disposition of the fowl and on
cleaning and disinfection as follows:

1.
2.

3.

Infected flocks should be entirely disposed of by slaughter.

The owner should be asked to set an approximate date and to designate a
preferred slaughtering establishment for disposing of the flock.

Buyers for slaughter should be asked to retain the identity of the farm of
origin and report it to the inspector upon delivery of the birds to the
slaughtering plants.

Small chicks may be kept on premises if sanitary arrangements are
satisfactory. The owner should be advised that pullets and younger
chickens are easily infected from contaminated ground, housing, and feed
and water devices, as well as through mechanical transmission by
attendants that take care of both the infected birds and the young stock.
To help ensure that the eradication effort will be successful, it is
recommended that all fowl on the premises be depopulated and that
cleaning and disinfection procedures be diligently applied.

D. Before chicks or pullets are again brought on the premises, the following
actions should be completed:

1.

2.

Clean and scrape all droppings and litter from the poultry houses, roosts,
and other equipment.

All feeding and watering equipment and nests should be removed from the
house, emptied and thoroughly cleaned with a brush and soap and water,
and then disinfected with an approved tuberculocidal disinfectant.

The equipment and as much as possible of the housing interior should be
exposed to sunlight. :

Any material (such as burlap, deteriorated insulating material, curtains, or
equipment) that impedes cleaning should be removed and destroyed by
burning.

The owner should be cautioned not to use litter and. droppings to fertilize
fields where livestock will forage or where drainage may expose other
animals to infection. The combination of plowing under and exposure to
sun will assist in the destruction of tuberculosis organisms present in the
litter.


VETERINARY SERVICES MEMORANDUM NO. 552.16 6

V. INSTRUCTIONS AND PROCEDURES FOR CONDUCTING
TUBERCULIN TESTS ON SWINE

Swine are susceptible to M. bovis. They may become infected by association with
infected cattle, bison, or other susceptible species and may transmit the disease to
cattle and bison. Swine are also susceptible to M. avium complex mycobacteria and
can, by shedding such organisms, expose and sensitize cattle, bison, and other
susceptible animals so that they falsely respond to presumptive diagnostic tests for
tuberculosis.

A. In these two general situations swine might have to be tested for tuberculosis:

1. A designated tuberculosis epidemiologist has classified swine as exposed
to tuberculosis by reason of association with an affected herd of cattle,
bison, or captive Cervidae. In such a case, it is preferable to depopulate
rather than test the exposed swine. There are provisions for indemnity if
the swine are depopulated; however, a herd plan may include a
requirement that the swine be tested for M. bovis.

2. A-swine herd not associated with a known affected herd of cattle, bison, or
captive cervids is suspected of harboring M. bovis or M. avium complex
due to clinical signs or the detection of tuberculous lesions in swine
slaughtered or necropsied. In such cases, testing may provide useful
information for understanding the epidemiology of the disease in the herd
and the possible source of exposure.

B. Procedures for conducting tuberculin tests on swine

1. Restraint

a. The speed and ease of testing will depend largely on available
handling facilities. Many prefer a wire-loop catcher or the use of
swine-catching crates. However, if the animals to be tested can be
handled in an area where they are regularly kept (such as a feeding
floor), they will not be as restless and nervous as when put into a
strange pen or area. Most sows are easily injected by crowding one or
more into a comer with a solid panel. In the interest of safety, special
precautions should be used to handle boars. When large numbers of
animals are to be tested, it is preferable to use long narrow chutes with
drop gates.

b. Advise the owner to keep all swine to be tested penned away from
mud holes starting the day before testing is to begin. In most instances
only breeding stock or animals intended for breeding need to be tested.



United States
: of
Agricutture

Marketing and
Regulatory
Programs
Animal and Plant
Health Inspection
Service

Washington, DC
20250

USDA
—_

MAY 20. 2004

VETERINARY SERVICES MEMORANDUM NO. 552.16

SUBJECT: _ Instructions and Procedures for Conducting Tuberculin Tests on

Poultry and Swine

TO: VS Management Team
Area Veterinarians in Charge, VS
State Veterinarians

IL PURPOSE

The purpose of this memorandum is to provide an outline of policies and standards
for field stations and field personnel engaged in conducting tuberculin tests in poultry
and swine.

IL CANCELLATION

This memorandum replaces ANH Division Memorandum No. 552.16, dated June 27,
1961, which is hereby canceled.

OL GENERAL

Animal species other than cattle, bison, and Cervidae may serve as reservoirs of
bovine tuberculosis. Such reservoirs can thwart schemes to eradicate Mycobacterium
bovis. The epidemiologic investigation of an affected herd should include careful
study of these species of animals, with particular attention paid to those that were
exposed to M. bovis. Appropriate actions include slaughtering, testing, and/or strict
isolation of the exposed animals. This memorandum is a guide for testing poultry and
swine for tuberculosis and for managing flocks and herds that are positive for the
disease. Additional information for testing other susceptible species of animals is
outlined in Veterinary Services Memorandum 552.15, dated April 2004.

IV. INSTRUCTIONS AND PROCEDURES FOR CONDUCTING
TUBERCULIN TESTS ON POULTRY .

Although not susceptible to M. bovis, poultry infected with M. avium may sensitize or
infect cattle or bison.


VETERINARY SERVICES MEMORANDUM NO. 552.16 7

2. Injection technique

a.

Since swine are susceptible to both avian tuberculosis (A/. avium) and
mammalian tuberculosis (M. bovis), suspected swine are injected with
both types of tuberculin.

Sites of injection are the lips of the vulva and the soft skin just
posterior to the ear. Boars may be injected at the junction of the skin
and mucus membrane of the anus. Use M. avium on one side and

M. bovis on the other. Clean the site of injection with dry cotton or
fiber toweling when necessary.

Syringes should be disposable 1.0 cc and/or 0.5 cc tuberculin syringes.
The needle should be 26 gauge with 3/8 inch exposure. The dosage is
0.1 cc. injected intradermally. Identify the syringes as to type of
tuberculin it contains by wrapping a piece of tape around the barrel.
The needle, chuck, and syringe are maintained in a clean condition by
swabbing with a pledget of cotton saturated in alcohol.

3. Identification of swine. Unless the swine are previously identified by ear
tags or special marking, they should be ear tagged at the time of injection.
4. Observation and interpretation of the test

a.
b.

Cc.

The swine should be observed 48 hours after injection.

Swine with tissue reactions that can be observed or palpated should be
classed as reactors, being careful to note whether the animal is reacting
to M. avium tuberculin, M. bovis tuberculin, or both.

Care must be used in observing females that may be in estrus when the
injection site is the vulva.

5. Management of infected swine and affected swine herds

a.

b.

Swine classified as exposed to M. bovis by reason of association with a
tuberculosis-affected cattle, bison, or cervid herd may be eligible to be
depopulated with indemnity under 9 CFR 50.3.

Negative animals from herds containing valuable breeding lines may
be immediately segregated to clean quarters and retested at 60-day
intervals until two negative tests are obtained following slaughter of:
the infected group. However, because false negative test results are
possible, this test-and-removal approach should be discouraged.

Feed sacks, shovels, scrapers, or other tools or material used for
poultry must not be used for swine.

The extermination of rats or other rodents is an essential part of the
tuberculosis eradication program.

If feral swine are in the area, their tuberculosis status should be
determined, if possible, and they should be prevented from contacting
domestic swine herds.


VETERINARY SERVICES MEMORANDUM NO. 552.16 2

A. Administration of tuberculin test (avian)

1.

The following equipment is needed for administering the avian tuberculin
test:

a.

b.

c.

d.

Small barrel tuberculin syringes with 26 gauge needles having 3/8 inch
exposure of needle.

Wire, bottomless catching cage. Such equipment must be thoroughly
cleaned and disinfected after use on each farm.

Brush, pail, and tuberculocidal disinfectant to use in disinfecting the
catching coops, boots, etc.

Leg bands or marking brush for identification of reactor fowl. An
alternate method of identification is to clip the tail feathers of reactors.

Inject the avian tuberculin as follows:

a.

b.

Inject .05 cc of tuberculin into the wattle on the same side of each bird
in the flock as birds are removed from the catching cage.

When catching cages are set up, it is easy to inject 100 percent of the
birds, which is the most desirable level of testing in all flocks. Even if
flocks have been regularly culled, reactors may be missed if a lower
percentage of injection is employed.

Disinfect catching pens and boots between each premises.

Swelling of the injected wattle in 48 hours indicates a reactor. It is
important that catching cages be used when making the observation to
avoid missing reactors.

B. Observation of clinical signs is sometimes used to detect avian tuberculosis
instead of doing testing. (However, note that some birds may have a bone
marrow form of avian tuberculosis and will react to the test without showing
lesions. Therefore, use of the avian tuberculin test is recommended.) When
observing flocks for clinical signs, follow these procedures:

1. Use care and patience when entering a poultry house so as not to
unnecessarily excite the birds. This will avoid, for example, death to
layers from internally broken eggs (shell broken). A knock on the door of
the laying house will alert the birds and your entry will not start their
flying wildly in surprise.

Where catching pens are not set up, a wire catching loop is a handy way to
catch birds with clinical signs for examination.


VETERINARY SERVICES MEMORANDUM NO. 552.16 3

3. Look for the following clinical signs of tuberculosis in poultry:

a.

b.
c.

d.
e.

First observe the age of the chickens by noting feet, legs, presence or
absence of spurs, pullet or old hen conformation, and feathering.
Lowered egg production and feed consumption should be noted.

If old hens are present, observe whether any are inactive, have pale
combs and wattles, and bleached beak and legs.

Lameness and diarrhea are common in severely infected birds.
Perhaps the most pronounced clinical sign is the lack of flesh on the
breast, sometimes described as “going light.” Such birds are often
caught very easily.

4. Demonstrate the gross lesions of tuberculosis to the owner using one or
more birds showing such clinical signs. Do this carefully and neatly,
using the following procedure:

a.

Kill the chicken by “bleeding in the neck.” This is done by holding
the legs and wing tips in the left hand and grasping the head in the
right hand. Rest the bird across your body; pull while twisting the
skull back until the vertebrae are separated but the skin of the neck is
not broken. This stretching thrust will permit the bird to bleed to death
with the blood being held in the skin of the neck and not scattering
about.

Next, place the carcass breast up on a clean surface; wet the feathers
with the tuberculocidal disinfectant solution taken from the pail
provided for washing instruments and hands. A knife and small rib
shears are the instruments needed.

Remove a few feathers posterior to the breast, and place the feathers in
a container.

Open the body cavity by incision, and cut the ribs with rib shears or
small tin snips.

The breast may then be pushed upward to reveal the internal organs.
Liver and spleen lesions are usually the most prominent; however,
intestinal or generalized lesions are often apparent.

5. After the demonstration of lesions, the owner should burn the carcasses so
they will not be scattered about or eaten by swine or other animals.

6. When lesions of tuberculosis are demonstrated, it is generally not
necessary to administer the avian tuberculin test to the whole flock.